WE ARE CHAOS (2020) Review

When Manson speaks you better shut up and listen!

11/9/2001. The world faced an unexpected but carefully planned tragedy that would culminate in the threat of a new war. The rest is history. 11/9/2020. As America continues to remember the victims of the Twin Towers, we rebels at heart are pleasantly surprised with the new We Are Chaos album from His Majesty of Darkness, Marilyn Manson. 

Alluding to the kabbalistic number 11 coincidentally is the eleventh studio album. With a difference of almost three years from Heaven Upside Down, produced by the famous film composer, Tyler Bates now comes from the hand of Shooter Jennings, whose roots rely on Country,son of Waylon Jennings, contemporary of Johnny Cash. Manson's first collaboration with Jennings was on the David Bowie cover of Cat People, part of a compilation entitled Countach (for Giorgio). Around the middle of 2019 he was able to complete said album but it did not see the light until this year for more than obvious reasons. Releasing an album in the midst of a pandemic represents a new challenge for any type of production, not necessarily musical. But what does this long-awaited and commented material offer us?

 As in the past as Antichrist Superstar, Holywood the intro "Red, Black and Blue" is threatening and allegories to the political situation. They are themes that are still relevant and that the viewer could take as a kind of anthem. It is not convenient to compare it with previous productions although at times there are influences from Bowie (it is not surprising from Manson on albums like Mechanical Animals) a touch of country, blues, glam, gothic and electronic. All sounds quite nice and well balanced. In fact the songs seem much more mature and the vocal parts are spectacular. 

Dissecting the album to the degree of expressing which would be the best song would be a bit risky. In fact we can clearly notice that it only has ten tracks unlike their previous works (Holywood has 19 tracks in its entirety!). It is like returning to the experience of playing a vinyl record, a format that has gained enormous strength in recent years due to its nostalgic factor and characteristic sound that cannot be reached by an MP3. In a changing industry that suffered a major setback with the emergence of the digital age we live a lot on singles and EPs. A solid album that is enjoyable from beginning to end I want to think that it is rare. Heaven Upside Down was a record that you want to put in the car and listen to it at full volume without the slightest guilt. This is the same case but We Are Chaos is something more than that: it is melodic, romantic, vulnerable and atmospheric. The title song for the album reads: 

"We are chaos, we can't be cured ..." 

It is not related to the issue of the 2020 pandemic; it is a happy coincidence. And of the good, little. What if We Are Chaos is conceptual like previous albums like Antichrist Superstar and its sequels? 

There are hidden themes out there like the comparison to the effect of a fragrance. A good perfume has several notes; the highs could be the vocal part and the inclusion of other instruments such as the piano and the guitar would be the lows but they are the ones that give almost each track a more organic quality. While Heaven Upside Down had a more synthetic sound with hints of hip hop, this new production sounds more intimate and emotional. And that's a good thing. It is a plethora of emotions that are easily related to the listener. 

This quality goes hand in hand with the series of paintings that accompany the variants of the disc in different formats as if we had been offered many nuances of the same element. Bold approaches time to digest but over time it becomes an important part of your daily life. It is better to have a pleasant company in this uncertain times that are the closest to an end of humanity.

What you are about to read from now on is well crafted lies, lies which only purpose will be to entertain you.

For generations Marilyn Manson has captured the imagination of thousands of crowds so what better way to celebrate that to offer stories, unreal stories that is. Feel free to join and pitch in with any piece of literature (fanfics): complete stories, poems, short stories, etc.

The guidelines are the following:

1.The file can be uploaded to Google Doc, FanFiction.net, .doc if in Word format, Deviantart or any other source but must be sent to the e-mail:

blackestone@live.com

2. The extension is not important but if you're intending to write a novel with several chapters please specify if you are working on a regular basis to keep the readers updated.

3. The genres can consist of: Romance, Horror, Comedy, Crossover (mixing genres or worlds with popular themes or events)  Normal, Fantasy, Erotic (if it has adult content please provide warning) Shipping is allowed as well (if you're entirely sure of what this term means, please visit this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shipping_(fandom)

4. I'm not a grammar nazi but please proofread your work before submitting.

5. You may use an illustration or an image to use as reference for your story. Note: if you borrow from an artist or friend mention his or her name to avoid stealing.

6. Remember it's entirely fan made fiction stories so keep it clean and avoid narrating actual events to prevent speculations, that's how urban legends are born.

7. You may include two or more members of the band and or original characters

8. Any other submission that does not meet these requirements will be automatically rejected but at least I'll be kind enough to offer you a detailed explanation. For example, you can post other people's work as long as they grant you permission.

Have fun! Remember that others will be watching you and I will encourage your work.

Come Down "The Path Of Misery"

If you happen to stop by on Mexico City around The Day of The Dead don´t forget to visit Marilyn Manson´s fine art only at Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso, one of the pinnacles of modern mexican art.

The exhibition entitled "The Path Of Misery" features a series of 30 watercolors from different eras and it opens to the public on November 4th 2011 and will remain until February 5th 2012.

The source: http://www.marilynmansonmexico.com awesome and complete website created by the staff of 212 Productions brings us this one of a kind event that has already been held on other countries such as Austria and Greece under different names with incredible success.

Are you an art lover and a hardcore Manson fan, here´s your chance!

Thanks to 212 Productions for the information!

Follow on Twitter:

@MMansonMexico

@museoacsi

@212Productions

1996

It was 1996, my first year of college. I was studying Industrial Design. I wanted to continue Graphic Design at a more affordable school but that's all they had available where I lived. My leisure time was very much occupied by devouring hours of endless entertaiment on cable and especially on MTV with no real friends and writing dark fairy tales to compensate my depression. 

Yes, indeed it was a transitional period for me and during this time I also had to face the fact that I was in a broken home and my grandparents took me in after surviving a painful divorce. And it so happened that I discovered something that would bring me comfort and unleash my imagination.

I don't recall the date but it must have been around the fall when I had the opportunity to buy the cassette tape known as Antichrist Superstar. My heart was racing the first time I bought it because of its uber satanic nature of the cover and yet I embraced it with the curiosity of a child.

The unexpected part of all this however was that its chaotic sound was so soothing that I always felt a strange filling of calmness, a sort of talisman that would help me deal with all the nightmares. This wasn't the very first time I ran into Manson, actually the first tracks I ever listened to where from the 1994's Portrait Of An American Family which I borrowed from a friend of my brother.

And as the sane world, if there was such a thing had trouble digesting this new record another event took place as it became mainstream on MTV. This helped Antichrist Superstar build a soild fanbase and a handful of curious people who did nothing but spread over the top rumors around Marilyn Manson´s persona. Some said he removed his ribs, others claimed he was the child actor Paul from The Wonders Years, others said he sacrificed animals and did rituals in every single concert.

Others saw in this band a potential threat, yet another chance to blame teenage violence on this eerie music and dark lyrics, an opportunity for angry Christians to make it easier to blame everything on the Antichrist, as if it were so simple an evident. Manson flamboyantly counterattacked with cleverly built speeches claiming that although he had contact with the likes of the deceased leader of the Satanic Church, Mr. Anton La Vey it was more of a personal philospohy, a transformation into a stronger being rather than a helpless pathetic little Wormboy. Art, in the end.

The media however began to notice the effects of this provocateur who was just reprising the days of David Bowie, KISS and good old Alice Cooper and while Mr. Manson saw no big harm isolated incidents such as the death of a teenager who committed suicide while listening to "The Reflecting God" contributed to stir the controversy of the negative effects of shock rock.

Progressively the music industry censored or undertoned what artists were publishing, not to mention rap music which was plagued by violence, hate and misogyny.

"Someone had to go this far" Man That You Fear, MM.

Did Manson go too far or push some very sensitive buttons with this album? Of course. By the time Mechanical Animals was released in 1998 the days of the Antichrist fell into a hiatus to make way for an androgynous alien which seemed incredibly odd but with a more welcoming aesthetic and thus it would be a happily ever after...right? right?

Not exactly, it seemed that a major incident ocurred back in 1999 following a brutal massacre at Columbine High School, perpetrated by two students alienated from society who presumably were avid followers of Manson and killed in his name. Although nothing was proven, let's remember that this was an age old argument that goes back all the way to the 50s when rock n' roll seemed to become a nuissance it did bring a scar to the Manson family and became a turning point in their career.

What it did leave us with, on the other hand is a reminder that rock n' roll it's not just about the headbanging, it's also about entertainment and what better way that bringing back the theatricality that it lost when the grunge era was in vogue and something big had to fill in the void that Kurt Cobain left.

But does it still hold up after all these years? The answer is yes, it continues to shock but in a much more richer way.

You see, when you're seventeen it's completely normal to comprehend this album but when you reached a certain age it becomes more of an object of study.

I know that there have been many things written, from analysis to interpretations about Antichrist Superstar struggling to find hidden answers and meanings in its Occult nature or some kind of symbolisms but I prefer to see the way it is; it's just art, it doesn't mean anything in particular unless you want it.

I lent to my dad a tape I made of Marilyn Manson because he grew curious about this fellow and somehow tried to bond with me listening to the music and to this day I remember he said, "Well, this sounds pretty much like poetry, satanic poetry, if you will, but yes poetry in the end."

Saturday Night Synchtube!

Mark your calendars! October 8th will be Antichrist Superstar´s 15 anniversary, so just for fun we´re throwing a Synchtube party at 9:30 PM Central Time.

Check the following Synchtube room for more information:  http://www.synchtube.com/r/Magenta

the password is: manson

11/11/11

Bored, no reason, some here´s more fan art. Even though the lion was just in one scene in "Born Villain" he still deserves some credit.

BTW, there´s some buzz around Manson FB fans that something really exciting will happen on 11/11/11.

THE BORN VILLAIN REVIEW TIME!

Holy, The God Of Fuck must be truly pissed off at some audiencies. His latest work cleverly named "No Reason" turns out to be some some kind of mockery targeted to Hollywood and the mainstream. In an era where its seems that nothing is shocking anymore, where we're being constantly fed YouTube memes and all sorts of trends no matter how badly they want to stay they die soon the same way that a firefly does.

Yet Manson manages to somehow fight back with this clip/short film directed by Shia La Beouf, yes, the Transformers dude, you heard it (mind you, not your regular MTV material) that gives an introduction to the concept of the 8th studio album dubbed "Born Villain."

In order to create the suspense they launched a campaign a few months ago which involved invading the streets of L.A. plastering the Born Villain image which is presumably the new album cover. Furthermore Marilyn Manson conducted a private screening of the short film on August 28th at the L.A. Silent Theatre and the art book Campaign, (a new strategy or publicity stunt, maybe?) which some locals labeled as "random street art." In MM's terms it sounds more like a smart propaganda.

MM has had a great love affair with the avant garde, such as Dadaism, Expressionism and Surrealism all of which have things or elements in common.

The imagery of the film reprises things already covered in 2003's "The Golden Age Of Grotesque" and even "Phantasmagoria". Although it couldn't be labeled as innovative, more like flirting with the past avant garde movements and the decadence of Weimar Berlin, it still contained something new.

In the companion DVD "Doppleherz", which was also a short film MM introduced us to the new era at the ending credits quoting

The film offers no explanation, nor needs one. Many thanks to those who helped make this, the beginning, not an end, to the most amazing era of Marilyn Manson. 

For those who aren't hardcore fans, MM worked on a parallel movie project called "Phantasmagoria: the Visions of Lewis Carroll" which was to be thought of as a fetaure length film featuring veteran artists such as Tilda Swinton and Angelina Jolie. Although those names were shuffled in the creative process what remained only of what was to be his opera prima as a film director is a footage that was canned last year. It included MM starring as the writer and Lily Cole as Alice.

A lot of speculation rose since early production circa 2005; it was implied that other minor characters such as Alice In Wonderland's Tweedledee and Tweedledum but Manson suggested that these would be females instead furthermore that they would be involved in explicit sexual scenes with each other.

"I'm going to do a lot of things that may end up being illegal. Until they are, I will do them. I think it will change people's opinion about horror films and they will realize they're not all about slasher [...] I might add that the girls playing Tweedledum and Tweedledee are twins who get to have real, genuine sex with each other. I like to make dreams come true."

From Phantasmagoria, a similar scene is featured in "Born Villain."

I won´t analyze frame by frame just the most relevant and shocking, so let´s begin

THE ACTS

Traditionally Greek play were all divided into three acts, consisting of the beginning, the middle and the end. Later on they were developed into four or five acts.

INTRO.

In the opening sequence Marilyn Manson dons the role of the Alchemist seen in The Holy Mountain with slight variations and underneath a eerie background music and illumination.

The following sequence presents an old  man and a child watching TV in an empty room and seems that it might not be that far from the truth, almost autobiographical (see Jack Warner, The Long Hard Road Out Of Hell) The kid, which some goddamn reason reminds me of the character of Gelsomina in Fellini´s La Strada about to receive an intense lesson of perversion. Two naked women sit blind folded in an operating table.


ACT I (A revolver with an embedded crucifix on top of the Roman numeral I)

Besides the obvious Macbeth quote I really preferred to explore the visuals that accompany it.

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,It signifies nothing.

A man deposits his left eye in Manson´s hand pretty much the same way like in the Luis Buñuel film Un Chien Andalou, this scene is also familiar with one of The Holy Mountain where an old man gives up the eye as well to a prostitute little girl while walking outside the church.


Because these films are in a way tied with the surrealism movement Manson has already given us a hint that the album has no explanation of whatsoever, in a few words, it means nothing, unless you want it of course, complete with the chorus,


NO, NO, NO, NO, REASON!


ACT II ( A flashing picture of a lamb on top of the Roman numeral II)

Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,And fill me from the crown to the toe topful Of direst cruelty!

Another quote from Macbeth, Lady Macbeth to be exact.  A robust woman caresses a man with no legs, or could also be interpreted as a dwarf, which is also a concept of the Shakespearian tragedy.

So yeah, in the next scene Manson violently passes a hook through MissCrash´s cheek and prepares her to be hanged carrying the "eye" and "implanting" it into her sex. Most of these surgical devices resemble the ones featured in Gottfried Helnwein´s pictures, another artist who collaborated with the singer back "The Golden Age Of Grotesque."

At the same time, as some form of ritual Manson sets himself on fire with a simple candle. Hmm, don´t try that part at home, kiddies.

the rape of Persephone was choreographed by all the wrong Greeksthe rape of Persephone was a marketing scheme
rape, rape, rape Persephonerape, rape, rape Persephone rape, rape, rape Persephone rape, rape, rape Persephone

a reference to Greek mythology, of course. However the theme of abduction has been covered in Manson´s film Doppleherz already.

Siamese twins are seen or conjoined by the spine abducted in the middle of the night, courtesy of Manson and his evil posse and while nothing happens in the end the girl are treated as mere freaks while in Born Villain they only tied and blindfolded.

Scene from "Doppleherz"

Brunette and Blonde

MissCrash hangs by the knees like a vulgar piece of steak in the market, cruelty, or just for the fun of it?

ACT III ( a burning cross on top of the Roman numeral III)

Manson carries a revolver with a cross embedded to it as he recites a passage from The Bible:

The wages of sin is death. Nothing in his life became him like the leaving it

as he kills the dirty old man, thus setting the child free, justice is served.

I, can never leave I, can never leave

the rest is just a repetition of the perverted imagery you saw in the previous acts.

But does this entire pastiche of extreme visual torture mean anything? Why should it, why would there be an explanation?

In the inmortal words of Tristan Tzara, one of the founding fathers of Dada:

DADA DOES NOT MEAN ANYTHING.
If we consider it futile, and if we don't waste our time over a word that doesn't mean anything...

After watching "NO REASON" two or three times the shocking imagery is already implanted into your unconscious, not quite as a subliminal message yet only as something provocative.